* In those of Baghdad neighborhoods where terrorists held sway, Iraqi security forces, backed by U.S. troops, are establishing an effective presence, allowing a slow return to normal. Reassured by the troop presence, the inhabitants of at least one neighborhood, Amiriyah, have chased away a terror outfit entrenched there since 2003.

Reports indicate that in the last 10 weeks the various armed enemies of new Iraq have suffered their heaviest losses since the start of the conflict four years ago.

* the insurgents are suffering a significant number of defections while an unknown number are believed to have left Iraq, presumably to pursue "jihad" in other Muslim countries.

* Coalition and Iraqi forces have seized weapons from the insurgents on an unprecedented scale. More than 20 bomb-making factories have also been discovered and neutralized in and around Baghdad.

* The morale of both U.S. and Iraqi troops has been boosted by the decision by the Democrat Party to tone down its campaign against U.S. military commitment to Iraq. There is a feeling in Baghdad that the possibility of America opting for a cut-and-run strategy has decreased. That, in turn, has encouraged the Iraqi military to stop hedging its bets and enter the battle with greater resolve.

Just for the sake of having an intelligible comment here: General Petraeus knows damn well that this offensive is anti-insurgency, not counter-insurgency. As such it's a temporary accomplishment (cf. Fallujah), at the cost of many people permanently losing their lives.

At this point, it's a given that the US Army and Marines are going to pack up and redeploy no later than January 2009. That's the operational and political reality .

Considering the size of the force, you're right in the long term, but he is employing counter-insurgency tactics. Despite, for example, how well things are going in Baquba, if the Iraqi forces aren't capable of holding onto the gains there when the Americans move on to something else, then it will be a temporary accomplishment.

Frank, check out this article by Joe Klein in Time magazine: "In Iraq, Operation Last Chance"http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1638128,00.html?xid=site-cnn-partner

Sample quote: "The current operation, Phantom Thunder... is not classic counterinsurgency warfare. It is not about protecting a population but about attacking a historically elusive enemy. This is not so easily done in Iraq."